WTF!

Published by irwin on

Ok maybe I’m still a little bitter.

It was a few months away from the end of my second, and by my guiding legislation, last term as Ontario’s Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth. I had been asking prior to the Provincial Election in May 2018 for the Legislature to begin a process to replace me. I had gone so far as to write the Speaker of the Legislature to indicate I had no interest in staying past my due date (so to speak) and that soon after the election a process of the Legislature for appointing the next Advocate would need to be established.
The election took place and, well you know the results by now. Just after the election I met the new Minister who asked my help in finding a successor. She was effusive in her praise of the Office and set forward a plan or two we might undertake together in the near future .
That’s the context setter.
Imagine my surprise. I was in Port of Spain invited to speak at a conference about the exemplary model of child advocacy our Office had established over the past eleven years. Imagine my shock when I learned through a cbc report in the early morn that the government would be tabling legislation that would repeal the Act which governed our Office with the intention of closing the Office within 5 months.
WTF!
“You had a nice little run” said the Ministers Chief of Staff (the Minister herself has refused to explain the decision to me despite a number of requests then and since) I made the speech in Port of Prince that same morning and returned home through a snowed in New York City LaGuardia airport. What a nightmare.
It was mid October 2018. I decided to tell the Legislature I would not leave when my term was up at the end of October. A reading of my Act gave me the right to do so as long as the ACT was in place. My decision would force the government to bring a vote to the Legislature floor to remove me. This did not happen. I wanted to stay as long as I could with my staff who worked so tirelessly alongside children of the Province. I wanted to continue to stand as long as I could with the most vulnerable young people of the Province.
That kind of brings us to today and this blog. It has been over a year now since that October morning in Port of Prince. I still have feelings about it I must admit. “You think?!” as my son would say.
On the other hand I realize that the decision the government made was not about me. My wife, Kimberley, consistently points out that not everything is about me despite my deepest attempts to make it so. I think naming this web site “The Elman” might just be out of spite for her reproachments!
The governments decision was in line with a right wing populism sweeping and eroding liberal democracies (more on that in the next blog) around the world. A movement led of course by the Donald. In Ontario a ham handed, Clampetts (Remember the Beverley Hillbillies, Google it)- Snidely Whiplash approach to governing with all the charm and subtlety of a dump truck.
But back to me. I have been fortunate to travel alongside so many amazing people. I have learned a great deal and yet I know I am missing more.
I want to stay connected to those who want to continue to journey together. I want to keep learning in dialogue with the world. I want to undertake the encouragement of JS Wordsworth in his “Grace Before Meat”. He wrote, “may we take our place in the worlds work and the worlds struggles”. I want to do just that.
Whether in Ontario, across Canada, in Japan, India or Ukraine all where I have work currently underway I want to struggle in the best sense of the word. I want this web site to be a vehicle for that.
But it was Rosa Luxemburg who wrote “If I can’t dance at your revolution…” I want this site to be irreverent at times. Maybe a pro wrestling page or two. Certainly outrageous use of social media. I tried Tik Tok but alas it’s going the way of my snap chat account I fear. Into the abyss of old fart attempts at using new platforms. I hope my sons will contribute. There is room for Naruto or Kirby.
I hope you will engage with it and me. There is no progress without conflict after all. Not the last Karl Marx reference to be found here. Let’s see where this goes.

Categories: Blog CategoriesChild & Youth Advocacy

irwin

Irwin Elman - Bio In October 2007, the Ontario Child Advocate (the Advocate’s Office) was established with the passage of Bill 165 by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. On July 14th, 2008, an all-party panel appointed Irwin Elman as the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth to provide leadership to the Advocate’s Office – the first independent office of its kind in Ontario – to amplify the voices of children and youth in its mandate. Up until April 30, 2019, the Advocate’s Office worked to make sure young people knew their rights, their opinions were taken into account in matters that concerned them and their voices were heard. The Office’s advocacy aimed to ensure young people were at the centre of all services provided to them and decisions made about them. Drawing on the strength of young people, the Advocate’s Office worked to fill the gap between what government, service providers and policy-makers intend, and the reality experienced by some of the most vulnerable children and youth in Ontario. Irwin brings an extensive background as an educator, counsellor, youth worker, program manager, policy developer and child and youth advocate to the position –borrowing from the courage and hope of the young people he served to create innovative approaches for others in Ontario, Jamaica, Hungary and Japan. Prior to becoming the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth, Irwin was the Manager of the Pape Adolescent Resource Centre in Toronto (PARC), an award-winning organization that supports young people as they leave child welfare care,for more than 20 years. He later served as the Director of Client Service at Central Toronto Youth Services, a children’s mental health centre. Irwin obtained his Master of Education and Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Honours) in political science from Carleton University. He received an Honorary Degree from Guelph-Humber University. Recently Irwin received the “Janus Korczak Award” from the Janus Korczak Association of Canada. He was made an “Honorary Member” of the Canadian Pediatric Society. He received the “Advocate of the Year” from the North American Adoption Council. He was awarded the “Stand Up For Kids Award” by the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada. Irwin currently resides in Toronto with his wife and two young sons. Noteworthy Reports: The ideas and lived experiences of children and youth under the Advocate’s mandate are captured in a number of reports written by young people, most notably My REAL Life Book (based on the landmark Youth Leaving Care Hearings); Feathers of Hope: A First Nations Youth Action Plan (based on the voices of 100 First Nations youth); The Ultimate Health Rights Survival Guide (a step-by-step guide on the health rights of youth); It Depends Who's Working: A Systemic Review of Secure Isolation in Ontario Youth Facilities; and the Blueprint for Fundamental Change to Ontario's Child Welfare System (prepared by the Youth Leaving Care Working Group, a partnership between the Advocate’s Office and the ministry)

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